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To: Lone Star who wrote (34372)	2/22/2000 9:58:00 AM
From: Proud_Infidel	Respond to of 70976

Looks like Mr. Buffet finally "got religion": Buffett's Berkshire Denied Confidentiality for Holdings by SEC By Miles Weiss Buffett's Berkshire Denied Confidentiality for Holdings by SEC Washington, Feb. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Warren Buffett disclosed that his Berkshire Hathaway Inc. owns stakes in Microsoft Corp. and Robert Half International Inc. after the Securities and Exchange Commission refused to let the billionaire report these holdings on a confidential basis. Berkshire, based in Omaha, Nebraska, held 167,500 Microsoft preferred shares at Sept. 30, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Other stakes reported in the filing include 1 million shares in Robert Half and 1.86 million shares in Cox Communications Inc. However, both of these stocks may have been selections made by Louis Simpson, who runs an investment portfolio for Geico Corp., a subsidiary of Berkshire. Investment managers who oversee $100 million or more of equities must report their holdings to the SEC in a Form 13F at the end of each quarter. The SEC also allows such managers to file a separate, confidential report if they can show that disclosure would disrupt their trading strategies. Buffett for many years has filed a confidential 13F that was disclosed to the public about one year later. However, he said in the amended Form 13F filed today that the SEC had refused at least some of his latest requests for confidential status. The Form 13F lists securities ''pursuant to a request for confidential treatment and for which that request was denied on Feb. 4,'' the SEC filing said. ''Berkshire has chosen not to appeal the denial of confidentiality as to these securities even though Berkshire believes that its confidentiality request was appropriate.''

To: Lone Star who wrote (34372)	2/22/2000 10:13:00 AM
From: Proud_Infidel	Respond to of 70976

Hitachi America begins new semiconductor equipment center in Texas Semiconductor Business News (02/22/00, 09:41:31 AM EDT) CARROLLTON, Tex. -- Hitachi America Ltd. today began groundbreakingOn a new 71,600-sq.-ft. semiconductor equipment center in Irving, Tex. The two-story building, located on four acres inside the Dallas/Ft. Worth airport foreign trade zone, will house the Semiconductor Equipment Group's sales, service, parts warehouse, customer technical training center, and support staffs. The building also will include a state-of-the-art clean room and 200/300-mm tool demo lab for U.S.-based customers. "This modern, state-of-the-art semiconductor equipment facility will enable us to more effectively address the needs of our customers in North America," said Tomoharu Shimayama, president and CEO of Hitachi America Ltd. "We plan to consolidate all of our sales, training and customer support and warehouse operations into our new location later this year. This will enable us to have a top-notch demonstration facility in the U.S. for our advanced etch, PFC abatement, ion beam products and implant systems." Hitachi America's Semiconductor Equipment Group plans to increase its employee base by 30% by adding technicians, engineers and other staff to support the new facility. The unit currently employs 45 people. "These skilled people, combined with our new clean room and 200mm/300 mm demo facility capabilities, will complement the cross-functional team of professionals we already have assembled in Japan and in other keys regions to serve the worldwide semiconductor industry," said Hisashi Ono, vice president and general manager of the Hitachi America Power and Industrial Division. "Our R&D and technology resources that are focused on the semiconductor process markets are some of the best in the world."

To: Lone Star who wrote (34372)	2/22/2000 8:26:00 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 70976

NORTH AMERICAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT INDUSTRY POSTS JANUARY 2000 BOOK-TO-BILL RATIO OF 1.34 Semiconductor Equipment Bookings Up 15 Percent Over Previous Month MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., February 22, 2000 -- The North American-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted a third-straight month of record orders in January 2000 and a Book-to-Bill ratio of 1.34, it was reported by Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI). A book-to-bill of 1.34 means $134 in orders were received for each $100 worth of products shipped. The three-month average of worldwide shipments in January 2000 was $1.6 billion. The figure is two percent above the December 1999 level, and is 82 percent above the January 1999 shipments level of $890 million. The three-month average of bookings in January 2000 was $2.2 billion. The bookings figure is 15 percent above December 1999 and 119 percent above the $997 million posted in January 1999. January bookings came in 33 percent above the previous cycle peak of $1.63 billion booked in November 1997. The January ratio of 1.34 is the third highest in the history of the SEMI Express Report and the highest in almost five years. "We are pleased to see the robust order level for equipment. It confirms the strength of the current market cycle," said Stanley T. Myers, president of SEMI. "Continuing strength and industry stability requires that spending remain aligned with underlying semiconductor market dynamics." The SEMI book-to-bill is a ratio of three-month moving average bookings to three-month moving average shipments for the North American semiconductor equipment industry. Shipments and bookings figures are in millions of U.S. dollars. semi.org!OpenDocument